Improving education delivery through community – school partnership

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ato Essuman

Purpose One of the most debated policy discourses that have engaged the attention of countries as well as the donor community is the varied pathways in improving the delivery of education through decentralisation and community participation. A key policy expectation is that through the active participation of the community, education quality and related outcomes would improve. The purpose of this paper is to explore the policy and practices of community and school partnership and the extent to which the “social contract” between communities and schools has been executed. It also explores the challenges they face as they engage in the governance of schools and how such engagement shapes education delivery. Design/methodology/approach This research was guided by a semi-structured interview schedule focused on two selected basic (i.e. primary and junior secondary) schools and their communities within a Municipality in a Coastal Region of Ghana as a single case for the study. Data were read thoroughly to identify common themes which included the multiple perspectives of participation, teacher management, conflicts and tensions, the role of community elites in school-community partnerships, capacity constraints, parental roles, and issues about the “social contract” among others. Findings Drawing on case study data, the paper argues that although decentralisation policies aim at strengthening local democracy and participation, they do not fully consider the conditions under which this might be achieved. Furthermore, in community–school partnership discourses, the impression has often times been given that the policy of education decentralisation is about what communities could do to support schools located within them. The fact of it being a two-way relationship is often not stressed, thus, diminishing the role the school plays or could play in the life of communities. Originality/value The study reinforced the point that the relationship was a two-way one based on reciprocity, and that it was the fulfilment of the expectations of both parties that shaped the relationship between them and determined the nature of communities’ participation in the governance of its schools. Anything to the contrary thus weakens the relationship.

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex McKeown ◽  
Miranda Mourby ◽  
Paul Harrison ◽  
Sophie Walker ◽  
Mark Sheehan ◽  
...  

AbstractData platforms represent a new paradigm for carrying out health research. In the platform model, datasets are pooled for remote access and analysis, so novel insights for developing better stratified and/or personalised medicine approaches can be derived from their integration. If the integration of diverse datasets enables development of more accurate risk indicators, prognostic factors, or better treatments and interventions, this obviates the need for the sharing and reuse of data; and a platform-based approach is an appropriate model for facilitating this. Platform-based approaches thus require new thinking about consent. Here we defend an approach to meeting this challenge within the data platform model, grounded in: the notion of ‘reasonable expectations’ for the reuse of data; Waldron’s account of ‘integrity’ as a heuristic for managing disagreement about the ethical permissibility of the approach; and the element of the social contract that emphasises the importance of public engagement in embedding new norms of research consistent with changing technological realities. While a social contract approach may sound appealing, however, it is incoherent in the context at hand. We defend a way forward guided by that part of the social contract which requires public approval for the proposal and argue that we have moral reasons to endorse a wider presumption of data reuse. However, we show that the relationship in question is not recognisably contractual and that the social contract approach is therefore misleading in this context. We conclude stating four requirements on which the legitimacy of our proposal rests.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Maria Kanzola ◽  
Konstantina Papaioannou ◽  
Panagiotis E. Petrakis

PurposeThis study examines the relationship between rationality and creativity by means of social identity theory for the Greek society (2019–2020).Design/methodology/approachThe outline of the social identity was given through self-categorization via a distributed questionnaire. The types of behavior (rational, nonrational and loss-averse) were determined by using questions based on the Allais paradox. Principal components analysis (PCA) is used to extract the causal relationships.FindingsThe study findings demonstrate that rational individuals are more prompt to creative personality than nonrational individuals. Rational individuals are motivated to pursue creativity through life-improvement goals. Loss-averse individuals are driven through the contradictive incentive of adventure-seeking behavior without, however, being willing to easily give up their established assets.Originality/valueThis article contributes by explaining creativity among rational, nonrational and loss-averse individuals as a product of social identity theory. This contributes to the literature, by proposing that the application of social theories in economics could constitute a different foundation for economics. This refers to the notion of the social microfoundations of the political economy and macroeconomics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Kenan Baş ◽  
Esen Durmuş

The aim of this study is to identify the perspectives of parents on the "Social Studies" course. The case study design,one of the qualitative research methods, was used in accordance with the nature of the study. Data related to the studywere obtained through a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers. The data of the study wereobtained from the parents of students attending 5th, 6th and 7th grade of a state secondary school located in theIstanbul-Sultanbeyli district in the spring semester of 2017 and 2018 academic year. The data obtained were analyzedby content analysis. According to the data obtained from the research, the following results were obtained: Themajority of the parents apparently linked the concept of Social Studies to the concepts of History, Geography,Citizenship and Socialization. Parents thought that the subjects related to History, Geography, Citizenship Rights,Culture, Democracy, Human Rights and the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk were taught in the Social Studies course.Nevertheless, it was seen that the parents wished to see the concepts such as Love of Motherland, Nation, Communityand National Flag, Etiquette, Cultural Values, Freedom, Democracy, Equality to be taught in the Social Studies courses.While the parents mostly compared the Social Studies courses with such organs as the Brain, Kidney, Heart, Eye,Stomach and Intestine, they considered it as appropriate to place this course in the last places in terms of importance. Inaddition, it was found that majority of the parents did not want their children to become social studies teachers in thefuture.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpana Rai ◽  
Upasna A. Agarwal

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the process of workplace bullying in Indian organizations from the victims’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted the grounded theory approach and centered on the participants’ experiences, interpretations, and reactions toward bullying. In total, 23 self-reported victims formed the sample of the study. Data from interviews were analyzed using the coding procedure of grounded theory methodology. To enhance the validity of results, in addition to interviews, member checking technique was also used. Findings The study revealed that the process of workplace bullying in Indian organizations can be broadly explained in four sequential phases: exposure and confusion over mistreatment; making attributions; utilizing options within the organization; and adjustment with the current situation. The findings highlight the importance of sense-making, the social support network, complexity of coping behaviors, silence motives of employees as well as negative and nourishing effects of workplace bullying. The role of culture is visible in the bullying dynamics. Research limitations/implications The study examined bullying from the victims’ perspective; however, perpetrator and bystanders’ perspective would have added interesting insights into the findings. Practical implications The findings point toward the rhetoric of HRM practices in Indian organizations. A well formulated and implemented anti-bullying policy will reduce the rhetoric of HRM practices in Indian organizations. Originality/value The present study contributes to the limited literature on the process of workplace bullying by exploring the process in a new national context (India).


Author(s):  
Angelica Carina de Andrade Farias Lima ◽  
Amanda Raquel da França Filgueiras D Amorim

The objective of this research was to identify the relationship between Internal Social Responsibility (RSI) and Internal Organizational Reputation (ROI). It also aims at checking if they are considered sources of competitive advantages for companies. The research used a theoretical basis developed by Pena et al. (2005) for the analysis of RSI through the analysis of 9 indicators, the same used by the Ethos Institute, and Lerner’s (2006) proposal to identify the employees’ perception of the degree of agreement with the ROI, based on the perception of 8 attributes related to company. The research was carried out in the company Antares Comunicação through questionnaires applied to the employees and semi-structured interview conducted with the manager of the Social Responsibility program. The results of the research show a high degree of agreement, an average of 5.5 in relation to the RSI actions developed by the company, as well as an average of 4.9 for the attributes related to ROI. He found through Pearson’s correlation analysis, there is a significant, linear and positive relationship between RSI and ROI. Therefore, according to the Resource Based View (VBR), the two variables, Internal Social Responsibility and Internal Organizational Reputation can be considered sources of competitive advantage for the company.


2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 1188-1204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manda Broekhuis ◽  
Kirstin Scholten

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate purchasing practices in service triads by exploring the link between ex ante contracting and ex post contract management and how these practices influence the satisfaction of buyers and suppliers (in concessionary arrangements) with their relationship in terms of meeting the needs of the buyer’s customers. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth exploratory multiple case study was carried out in a shop-in-shop context. Multi-method and multi-source data collection included interviews, documents and the contracts between buyer and supplier, providing evidence of the formal and relational structures in both the contracting and contract management stages. Findings The case findings provide evidence that behavioural standards established in a social contract are important prerequisites for the establishment and subsequent management of a formal contract. Second, this study shows that, when outsourcing core services in a service triad, a combination of performance-oriented and behavioural-oriented contract terms, covering a mix of topics related to both the customer-experience and to buyer-supplier-oriented aspects, contribute to aligning the buyer’s, suppliers’ and customers’ interests. The main findings are presented in a causal model and formulated as propositions. Originality/value This paper is one of the first studies to explore how core services are outsourced in a service triad. It provides evidence that the social contract between buyer and supplier influences the establishment of the formal contract as well as contract management, and a mix of contract topics, some related to the customers’ experience and others purely buyer-supplier oriented, contribute to the alignment of buyer’s, suppliers’ and customers’ interests.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Klemelä

Purpose The Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework has been developed for mapping and measuring social impact. It may be used for legitimating organisations and projects. The framework is often criticised for its overemphasis of the SROI ratio, i.e. the relationship between monetised benefits and costs. This study aims to demonstrate how the SROI method legitimates organisations or projects with multiple other discursive ways besides the SROI ratio. It also discusses the status of these other ways of legitimation in relation to the quantifying and monetising core tendency of SROI. Design/methodology/approach The empirical data consist of an SROI guidebook and 12 SROI reports. Their study applies Theo van Leeuwen’s ideas for analysing the discursive legitimation of social practices. The study takes place broadly in the framework of Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, aided by qualitative content analysis. Findings In the analysis, the full spectrum of the van Leeuwenian legitimation means used by SROI – authorisation, rationalisation, moral evaluation and mythopoetical narration – is brought out in the data and the status and social context of the legitimation means are assessed and discussed. It is shown that there is existing potential for broader and more visible use of different legitimation means. Practical implications Based on the findings of the study, suggestions for the improvement of SROI reporting by a more balanced explicit use of the multitude of legitimation means are presented. Originality/value The study is original both in its subject (the spectrum of legitimation in SROI) and its method (qualitative discursive and contentual analysis of SROI as a legitimating discourse).


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 614-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Daskalopoulou

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different types of social capital contribute to the satisfaction with democracy (SWD) in Greece. Understanding the relationship between different variants of social capital and SWD allows one to situate the Greek democracy in the continuum of democracy types, from primary to modern. Design/methodology/approach The study uses microdata extracted from the European Values Surveys of 2002-2010 and multivariate regression analysis. Findings The results are compatible with a conception of the Greek political organization as a civil virtue democracy. A change in the nature of the relationship is observed after the recent economic crisis in the country. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the empirical knowledge regarding the relationship between different variants of social capital and SWD. Originality/value Using a typology approach, the micro-relationship between democracy and social capital is analyzed as embedded in a continuum of different democracy types. In addition, this is the first study that uses microdata to analyze the effect of social capital upon SWD in Greece. The results of the study provide valuable understanding of the social and institutional arrangements that might sustain Greece’s efforts to meet its overall developmental challenges.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aakanksha Kataria ◽  
Kumari Rashmi ◽  
Mansi Rastogi

Purpose This study aims to investigate how workplace resourcefulness (positive psychological climate), as well as personal resources (psychological capital [PsyCap]), influence work engagement to promote change-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors (Ch-OCBs) among Indian information technology (IT) personnel. Design/methodology/approach The social exchange theory and job demands-resources model are used to provide rationale for proposing a comprehensive mechanism including antecedents, moderators as well as mediators enabling Ch-OCBs among IT personnel. Structured questionnaires were administered targeting IT professionals and their supervisors to test the proposed relationships. The obtained data from 30 supervisors and 240 subordinates were tested using confirmatory factor analysis, SEM and moderated path analysis technique. Findings Psychological climate, PsyCap and work engagement positively relate to Ch-OCBs; PsyCap moderated the relationship between psychological climate and work engagement. Specifically, the relationship between psychological climate and work engagement has come out stronger for employees with high PsyCap. Work engagement fully mediated the relationship between psychological climate and Ch-OCBs. Practical implications The findings can be critical in promoting voluntary change-focused behaviors among Indian IT personnel, for Indian and foreign (non-Indian) multi-national corporations that are interested in reaping profits by availing change-driven extra-role services of their efficient and the most preferred Indian IT employees of the world. Originality/value This study addresses to the call for more research on change-focused promotive part of OCB and advances the literature by providing evidence on the proposed set of associations from fast-pacing Indian economy.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Yao ◽  
Xinmei Liu ◽  
Wenxin He

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the curvilinear relationship between team informational faultlines and team creativity and the moderating effects of team humble leadership on the relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe multisource and longitudinal survey data were collected from 85 teams. The authors conducted linear regression analyses to analyze the data.FindingsThe results indicate that the relationship between team informational faultlines and team creativity is inverted U-shaped and such relationship is stronger in teams with low levels of humble leadership.Research limitations/implicationsThe research reconciles the mixed findings in prior research and enhances our understanding of the functionality of informational faultlines.Practical implicationsTeam managers should seek optimal levels of informational faultlines and make diversity coexist with similarity when assembling a new working group so as to utilize the benefits of team composition diversity and fuel collective creativity. Team leaders should learn humble leadership skills to encourage open communication.Originality/valueThe research is the first to adopt and build on the social information processing (SIP) perspective to explain the curvilinear relationship between team informational faultlines and team creativity.


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